Malaysia Citizenship

Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective monarchy. The federal head of state of Malaysia is the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly referred to as the King of Malaysia. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected to a five-year term among the nine hereditary Sultans of the Malay states; the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the selection.^[39]

The system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British colonial rule. In practice however, more power is vested in the executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary has been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era. Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-party coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly known as the Alliance).^[40]

Legislative power is divided between federal and state legislatures. The bicameral parliament consists of the lower house, the House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (literally the "Chamber of the People") and the upper house, the Senate or Dewan Negara (literally the "Chamber of the Nation").^[41][42][43] The 219-member House of Representatives are elected from single-member constituencies that are drawn based on population for a maximum term of five years. All 70 Senators sit for three-year terms; 26 are elected by the 13 state assemblies, two representing the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, one each from federal territories of Labuan and Putrajaya, and 40 are appointed by the king. Besides the Parliament at the federal level, each state has a unicameral state legislative chamber (Malay:Dewan Undangan Negeri) whose members are elected from single-member constituencies. Parliamentary elections are held at least once every five years, with the last general election being in March 2004.^[40] The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body.^[44]

State governments are led by chief ministers (Menteri Besar in Malay states or Ketua Menteri in states without hereditary rulers), who is a state assembly member from the majority party in the Dewan Undangan Negeri.^{[citation needed]}

MalaysiaCitizenship

Main article: Malaysian citizenship

Most Malaysians are granted citizenship by lex soli.^[45] All Malaysians are Federal citizens with no formal citizenships within the individual states except for states and the federal territory in East Malaysia where state citizenship is privilege and distinguishable from the Peninsula.^{[citation needed]} Every citizen is issued with a biometric smartchip identity card, known as MyKad, at the age of 12, and must carry the card at all times.^[46] A citizen is required to present his or her identity card to the police, or in the case of an emergency, to any military personnel, to be identified.^{[citation needed]} If the card cannot be produced immediately, the person technically has 24 hours under the law to produce it at the nearest police station.

Malaysia (pronounced /məˈleɪʒə/ or /məˈleɪziə/)

Malaysia (pronounced /məˈleɪʒə/ or /məˈleɪziə/) is a secular country that consists of thirteen states and three federal territories in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of 329,847 km².^[1][2] The capital city is Kuala Lumpur while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government.^[2] The country is separated into two regions — Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo — by the South China Sea.^[2] Malaysia borders Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines.^[2] Located near the equator, the weather is characterized by tropical climate.^[2] Malaysia is headed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and politically led by a Prime Minister.^[3][4] The government is closely modeled after the Westminster parliamentary system.^[5]

The country was once colonized by the United Kingdom; British Malaya and Malaysia did not exist as a unified state prior to 1946 and 1963, respectively.^[clarify] The Federation of Malaya achieved independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1957.^[6] Singapore, Sarawak, British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya federated to form Malaysia on September 16, 1963.^[7] The early years of the federation were marred by an armed conflict with Indonesia and the expulsion of Singapore.^[8][9] The Southeast Asian nation experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development during the late 20th century. With a GDP per capita standing at USD13,000, it has, from time to time, been considered a newly industrialized country.^[10][11] As one of three countries that control the Strait of Malacca, international trade plays a large role in its economy.^[12] At one time, it was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world.^[13][14] Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy.^[15]

The population of Malaysia is approximately 25 million.^[2] The Malays forms the majority of the population while there are sizable Chinese and Indian communities. Islam is the largest as well as the official religion of the federation.^[2][16] The Malay language is the official language.^[17]

Malaysia is the founding member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations and participates in many international organizations such as the United Nations.^[18][19] As a former British colony, it is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.^[20] It is also a member of the Developing 8 Countries.^[21]

The name "Malaysia" was adopted in 1963 when the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak formed a 14-state federation.^[7] Yet, the name itself had been vaguely used to refer to unspecified areas in Southeast Asia. A map published in 1914 in Chicago has the word Malaysia printed on it referring to certain territories within the Malay Archipelago.^[22] The Philippines once contemplated to name their state "Malaysia" but Malaysia adopted the name first in 1963 before the Philippines could act further on the matter.^[23] Other names were contemplated for the 1963 federation. Among them was Langkasuka; Langkasuka was an old kingdom located at the upper section of the Malay Peninsula in the first millennium of the common era.^[24]

Even farther into history, English ethnologist George Samuel Windsor Earl in volume IV of Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 1850 proposed to name the islands of Indonesia as Melayunesia or Indunesia though he favored the former.^[25]